Category Strategy: Deep League Special

In honor of Thanksgiving, I want to issue a few quick thanks. Thank you, readers, for spending your time coming back each week and looking at words I write. Thanks to the RotoWire team for giving me the opportunity to publish here, and for magically turning my emailed documents into internet pages. And thanks to my wife for listening to more basketball monologues than she thought was possible.

I made a special effort to focus on widely available players this week. Many of these players are worth a look in any size league, but whenever possible I focused on players owned in fewer than 25% of leagues.

Two teams play only two games this week: the Bulls and Jazz. Eight teams play three games this week: Bucks, Cavaliers, Celtics, Kings, Knicks, Nets, Raptors, and Wizards. The rest of the league plays four games this week. And all of those games are crammed into only six days, as the NBA takes Thanksgiving Day off, entirely.

The crowded schedule creates and added source of value for managers in leagues with daily lineups and no games max. Tuesday has only four games, and Saturday has only five, while all the other days have at least eight. The Knicks and the Thunder play both Tuesday and Saturday. Adding even more value to any potential Knicks waiver prospects is the fact they play four games in each of the next two weeks.

Points

Jonathan Gibson, Mavericks
(Ownership: ESPN – 1%; Yahoo! – 20%; CBS – 21%)

You can be forgiven for wondering, "who?" Already down Deron Williams and Devin Harris, the Mavericks backcourt has been decimated by injuries. When J.J. Barea joined the ranks of the wounded last week, the team brought in Gibson, who was one of its last cuts this preseason. Gibson is a 29-year-old journeyman in every sense of the word. He's played professional basketball around the world, including stops in Turkey, China, and Israel. Gibson is a scorer and has been everywhere he goes. He averaged 17.5 points per game as a senior at New Mexico State, and 31.7 and 42.0 points per game, respectively, during his last two seasons in China. Staying on the court will be the biggest challenge for Gibson, since he's not an overly well-rounded player. But the Mavericks don't have many other options right now, so Gibson is well-positioned for bursts of scoring in the short-term.

Other suggestions:Josh Richardson, Heat; Sauce Castillo (sometimes known as "Nik Stauskas"), 76ers

Threes

Channing Frye, Cavaliers
(Ownership: ESPN – 6%; Yahoo! – 18%; CBS – 12%)

After a few weeks of being listed first among my "other suggestions," I'm promoting Frye to my main target. I'm not drawing any conclusions from his short shift during Friday's blowout over the Pistons -- the Cavs were up double-digits before the end of the first quarter, and seven small forwards or shooting guards combined to play 134 minutes. Before that, Frye has been a stud from behind the arc, draining 2.8 threes per game. He is averaging 6.0 attempts per game and shooting a magnificent 46.7 percent from long range. If his attempts remain steady but his efficiency were to drop closer to his career average -- which is still a healthy 38.8 percent -- he would make 2.3 threes per game. He will probably cool off eventually, though he's provided no indication that a regression will come soon. Frye has made at least one three in every game in which he has played at least 10 minutes.

Other suggestions:Ersan Ilyasova, 76ers; Langston Galloway, Pelicans; Dario Saric, 76ers

Rebounds

JaMychal Green, Grizzlies
(Ownership: ESPN – 7.5%; Yahoo! – 13%; CBS – 43%)

Green entered the starting lineup this season, pushing Zach Randolph to the bench. The third-year-pro out of Alabama is a good-not-great rebounder, but he has been putting it together lately after some early struggles. He had fewer than five rebounds in half of his first eight games, but now he's averaging 9.5 per game over his last four contests.

I don't trust Alan Williams quite yet, though he warrants mention. In three straight games, he has hovered very close to a pace of one rebound for every two minutes on the court. As long as Tyson Chandler (personal) is out, he is a reasonable short-term option, and when Chandler returns, Williams could retain some deep league value. When all are active, Chandler and Alex Len block Williams' path to minutes, at least for now. If Chandler was dropped in your league and you have a roster spot to spare for a few more games, he is also worth adding.

Other suggestions:Jon Leuer, Pistons; Alan Williams, Suns; P.J. Tucker, Suns

Assists

Jerryd Bayless, 76ers
(Ownership: ESPN – 2%; Yahoo! – 11%; CBS – 32%)

Two weeks ago, Sergio Rodriguez was making the most of Bayless' absence due to a wrist injury, averaging 12.0 points and 6.7 assists through the first three games. But Rodriguez has struggled since, opening the door for Bayless to snag the starting spot. Bayless played just 15 minutes in his season debut Monday, and it is expected that he will be eased into back into action over his first few appearances. He is not as strong a source of assists as most of the other starting point guards in the league – but most starting point guards are not available on the fantasy waiver wire.

Other suggestions:Frank Kaminsky, Hornets; Dion Waiters, Heat; J.J. Barea, Mavericks (if you have an open IR spot)

Steals

Tony Allen, Grizzlies
(Ownership: ESPN – 1%; Yahoo! – 4%; CBS – 9%)

A longtime steals specialist, Allen is back at it again. He has missed several games already this season, but he has at least one steal every time he's played. Allen is only averaging 22.4 minutes per game this season, but I expect that number to creep up as he gets further removed from his early injuries. If that happens, he has a chance to improve upon his already-impressive 2.0 steals per game average.

Other suggestions:Patrick Beverley, Rockets; Manu Ginobili, Spurs; Andre Roberson, Thunder

Blocks

Josh Richardson, Heat
(Ownership: ESPN – 15%; Yahoo! – 48%; CBS – 57%)

Richardson has been featured before in this column but for his abilities as a scorer and an efficient shooter. In the last eight games, however, Richardson has also flashed some skills as a shot-blocker, averaging 1.0 per game. This is not a new skill for Richardson, as he totaled 88 blocks during his college career and averaged 0.9 blocks per game during the Heat's 14-game playoff run last season. His current pace may not be sustainable, but even if he slows down a little, he would still rate as one of the better shot-blocking guards in the league.

Other suggestions:Spencer Hawes, Hornets; Patrick Beverley, Rockets; James Johnson, Heat

Field Goal Percentage

Tony Parker, Spurs
(Ownership: ESPN – 22%; Yahoo! – 32%; CBS – 55%)

Years ago, Parker was a borderline first-round pick in fantasy. Those days are gone, but his most under-appreciated fantasy asset still survives: his incredible field goal efficiency. In the last week, he is shooting 65.0 percent from the field. He has maintained a field goal percentage above 48 percent for the last dozen seasons. Even as his minutes and scoring has slowed, his field goal efficiency has remained.

Other suggestions: Bojan Bogdanovic, Nets; Nik Stauskas, 76ers

Free Throw Percentage

D.J. Augustin, Magic
(Ownership: ESPN – 8%; Yahoo! – 2%; CBS – 6%)

Augustin is the clear backup in Orlando, and his playing time is limited, as he's averaging only 18.4 minutes per game. Despite the limited minutes, however, Augustin has made it to the free throw line in seven straight games. In that span, he is converting at an 88.5 percent clip on 3.3 attempts per game. That's enough to make an nice dent in a team's free throw percentage, a category that can be tough for waivers to seriously impact.

Other suggestions:Nick Young, Lakers; Bojan Bogdanovic, Nets